Author-Gene Edwards
Publisher-Tyndale House Publishers.
ISBN-0-8423-3870-5
Gene Edwards who now lives in Florida is a prolific author, his books mainly concentrate on the deeper Christian life and early church life, especially dealing with the church as revealed in the book of Acts and the epistles of Paul. The Priscilla Diary is a blend of fiction and fact as concerning the life of the early church viewed through the eyes of the wife of Aquila. This book is the penultimate of the series ‘the First Century Diaries” by this author. Each of these are worth reading. The Silas Diary, The Timothy Diary, The Titus Diary and The Gaius Diary. These narratives flesh out the Acts history and put the epistles of Paul into the context of the progress of his life. There is necessarily a degree of speculation in aspects of the story line but overall these books are helpful. Clearly Priscilla was a vibrant woman who, along with her husband, was involved with the apostle Paul at a number of crucial junctures in his missionary journeys. The way the churches develop in various places are viewed through her eyes. The pressures which came upon Paul, especially as mentioned in the second letter of Corinthians are examined and his responses to those pressures, these are regarded as the darkest days of his life. During this period of Paul’s life the epistle to the Romans is penned and this letter is considered through the lens of how Priscilla and others would have viewed its emphasis on all that is basic to the Christian life. This particular book draws to an end around the way Paul had to face old enemies in the persons of Roman and Jewish officials in Jerusalem. He then spends years in jail before the Roman governor issues the ruling that Paul is to be carried to Rome in chains. The final volume in this series is The Gaius Diary which continues the travels of Paul with the journey and shipwreck on Malta with the final sight of Paul in Rome in his own rented house. Well written and instructive within the constraints of this style of book.
